Schmoke must act on AIDS report Guest Editorial

This editorial appeared in the October issue of the Baltimore Alternative and is reprinted with permission.

AFTER more than a year of work, the "final" report of the Mayor's AIDS Coordinating Council is complete and in Mayor Schmoke's hands.

It is substantial, complete and paints a grim picture of AIDS in Baltimore.

Without resorting to direct criticism, implicit in the report's recommendations are indictments that are quite clear: The Baltimore City Health Department has done virtually nothing to fight AIDS; the Schmoke administration has not taken a serious role in battling AIDS; and it is within Baltimore's capabilities to do more -- even with the city's limited resources.

Money -- the most obvious need -- will be the most difficult resource for the city to provide. Many of the recommendations in the report address that problem, and it is not unassailable. But leadership and the creative use of present resources are areas where our mayor has ability. We urge him to pay close attention to the report's suggestions -- and act. He will find a large, well-organized army of allies in the AIDS community here which is anxious to see him join its ranks in the fight against AIDS.